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Old 08-06-2012, 11:47 PM   #1
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Towing Capacity for Minivan

I have a hitch on our 2007 Honda Odyssey Minivan. It has a V6 engine, but I am not sure of the horsepower. Right now we are towing a 2011 Fleetwood MAC 206LTD pop-up camper. The dry weight of the camper is 1,319, the payload capacity is 762, and the hitch weight is 174. What is the maximum lbs I can tow with my minivan? If we want to upgrade to a light travel trailer; I am wondering if I can use our minivan to tow it, or would I have to buy a new truck or suv?
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Old 08-07-2012, 03:17 AM   #2
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Maximum towing weight for this van is 3,500 lbs.

That is for a V6
See link for Vehicle here
2007 Honda Odyssey Specifications

Hope this helps
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Old 08-07-2012, 05:55 AM   #3
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go find a travel trailer you like then buy a truck that will tow it and don't believe the rv salesmen or the truck salesmen on what it will tow
do your own research
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Old 08-07-2012, 07:28 PM   #4
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Ok...right up my alley! Yes, it can tow 3500 lbs but only if you have added the accessory power steering cooler and trans cooler packages. Also, 3500 is rated at sea level and you need to subtract about 190 lbs of tow capacity for every 1000 feet of elevation change. And lastly, the rating changes even more depending on how many people/ equipment you will be carrying. I have seen a disclaimer (in my pilots manual) towing not recommended with over 6 people in vehicle.

Now ... What I've seen is your van towing pop ups that you have described as high as 9000ft with all their gear and 3 kids ( I'd say between 7-10 years old). My advice is to not fill water tanks when towing and service your trans every year. Should cost about $100. I see alot of vehicles that come in with trans sludge with fully loaded vans or towing and have never even put a thought to changing the trans fluid.
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Old 08-07-2012, 11:36 PM   #5
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Thanks all. I was just curious if we decide to upgrade to a travel trailer next year from our current pop-up camper. I guess I will need to cross that bridge when I come to it as we are not making any type of switch now. Thanks for your feedback though, it is very helpful and I appreciate it.
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Old 08-08-2012, 09:47 PM   #6
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What a load of barnyard exhaust is spread about towing capacity. The UK Daily Telegraph recently listed the Caravan Club's "best tow vehcles". I'm going from memory, as I didn't save the article, but as I remember, the VW Golf was rated best for TTs up to 3000 lb., the Passat for trailers up to 3500 lb, the Jaguar XF for trailers up to 4500 lb and the 4.8 Litre Land Rover Discovery for trailers up to 7,000 lb.

My uncle used to tow an 18' "coachbuilt" (prononced "heavy") trailer all over Europe behnd an Austin Cambridge, which had drum brakes, a 4-speed stickshift and a 1.5L engine that got 55 Hp on a really good day. They weren't the quickest vehicle on the Swiss mountain passes, but they got by for over 20 years.

Incidentally, the other day in town, I saw one of those T@B teardrop trailers being towed by a recent model Toyota Corolla.
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Old 08-08-2012, 11:18 PM   #7
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So it sounds like the 2007 Honda Odyssey V6 minivan can tow more than 3,500 lbs even though the factory specs say 3,500 max? I can't go against the max factory specs can I?
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Old 08-09-2012, 09:48 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vikingpick
So it sounds like the 2007 Honda Odyssey V6 minivan can tow more than 3,500 lbs even though the factory specs say 3,500 max? I can't go against the max factory specs can I?
As always, it's your vehicle and your choice to experiment with "limits".

From my experience though, what Honda puts in black and white is pretty close to truth. My Pilot can tow 4500. My pop-up loaded is 3600 plus wife, kids, dogs and gear in the TV. Highway driving is not bad-spends alot of time in 4th and gets about 13 mpg. But pulling a hill (especially at altitude) I'm running it at about 90-95% of max power- to sustain 45 mph to keep traffic behind me happy.

Oh and that's with the 4wd helping me get all that mass going.

Just a little info to try to help with you decision.
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Old 08-09-2012, 11:10 AM   #9
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We are new to popup camping, but we researched a lot on the Sienna Van with their Forums. Check to see online if they have a Honda Forum for your van. Many people can provide their experiences and setups that may help you. I was amazed what travel trailers people are towing.

In our case, our van has the V6 as well and 3500 lbs rated tow capacity. It was a recommendation from about 90% of the people on the Sienna forums to add an AirLift 1000 kit to the rear springs. Only about $80, I installed one and it really eliminated the sag at the rear end when the camper was attached.
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Old 08-09-2012, 08:58 PM   #10
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You might find, in the event of a road accident, that if you're towing more than the maximum that the vehicle manufacturer recommends, your auto insurance carrier may void your policy. This happened to friends of ours, even though they weren't at fault. The vehicle that hit them wasn't insured.

The driver of that vehicle, though clearly at fault and given a ticket by the State Patrol, still tried to sue our friends. Not only were they out of pocket for their destroyed Sienna and TT, they also had to spend money on lawyers to get the doofus that hit them off their backs. It wasn't until their lawyer countersued, on the basis that said "doofus" had deliberately caused the accident to gain a settlement, that all went quiet.

I sure wish the tow ratings in the US woudl get more reasonable, like the Europeans'. My Kia Sedona has a US tow rating of 3500 pounds. In England, even with a 2.7L diesel rather than the 3.5L V6 I have, it's rated to tow 5800 pounds.
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Old 08-09-2012, 10:38 PM   #11
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Thanks all. This is good stuff. I have heard about the Airlift 1000 kit and it sounds like a good deal as there is definitely some sag in the back of the minivan while towing, especially since we put the back seats down and load everything in the back of the minivan, along with what will fit in the folded pop-up. I will look into getting that airlift installed.

I agree, I would be nervous towing more than the factory spec weight. I think we may stick with our pop-up for now and really take our time if we want to but some sort of travel trailer down the road.
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Old 08-10-2012, 06:25 AM   #12
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I tow a minilite 1809s with my all equipped uplander 2009 and have no problems at all. Most of my towing is level terrain and I never tow in overdrive. For my part I dont need a big Silverado or a big Ram to tow my trailer. I get a very good milleage per gallon and if my towing would involve a lots of hills I would not hesitate to get a bigger vehicle. I have a power steering cooler, an extra hayden trans mision cooler and a engine oil cooler. I use a class 3 hidden hitch and reese 550 spring bars.
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Old 08-10-2012, 11:59 PM   #13
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@ capucine - that is a nice size trailer. What is the weight for that trailer? That may be what I am looking for if I decide to upgrade from a pop-up. How many does it sleep?
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Old 08-11-2012, 06:42 AM   #14
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This trailer will sleep in confort aprx 3 persons. What makes it different is that you have a nice sofa that you can sit and enjoy. Many small trailers even some bigger ones dont have a sofa and you are confined to sit on the table cushions a very poor confort that I dont want and many other campers. My trailer weight is close to my limit because we took so many upgrades and the surprise came on the yellow sticker, On the brochure it was supposed to be close to 3000 lbs. Of course you have to count the propane, the battery etc. Mine is a bit over 3500 lbs but to tell you the truth I dont have no problem towing it at all even in windy days. We only tow on level grade because where I live there is no hills and this make a big difference. We also never camp very far from home lets say a bracket of 100 kilometers or 60 miles. I live along the St Laurence seaway and all the roads are levelled. I was to install a anti sway bar that I have in my basement but I never needed it. Even if I meet the big 18 wheelers I don feel any swaying. The minilite 1809s is very light on the tonge ( 235 LBS ) not to many trailers can enjoy a light weight like this on the tonge. Even without my spring bars my rear suspension is not straining but I use them anyway. For your part I would go for a lighter trailer of aprx 17 foot and if the weight is a factor for you get a single axle. The choice is very large in these trailers. If you decide to buy a hybrid think ahead. They are bigger inside but they have their shares of problems with end bed leaking for many and if you camp in late in the season the trailer is hard to heat because of no insulation on both ends. Good luck and give us an update. Make sure that your van has a extra transmission cooler etc and keep some reserve in the weight of your unit. MY case is not the same as many other campers would be and if I would plan to tow in other situations I woud buy a bigger truck like a ford echoboost for exemple.
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Old 08-11-2012, 09:10 AM   #15
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I am just curious, looking at your weights, have you measured the trailer?
The brochure dry weigh is 3344 pounds. I am not sure what you yellow sticker says but I know after I loaded my trailer I was 400 pounds over the yellow sticker. This would put you closer to 4000 lbs then 3500. Also the tonge weight needs to be 10 to 15%. If you are only at 235 (brochure says 236 empty I'm guessing you are well above this with propane, battery and loadedd to camp as I see the storage is under the bed at the front of the camper) this would be too light.
I am not the weight police, look at my rig, I just think you are under estimating the weight of you rig.
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Old 08-14-2012, 06:44 AM   #16
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happy vibe: have you noticed how the weight have changed years after years in the brochure for the same model. When my 2011 minilite 1809s was made in october 2010 the brochure avaliable was a 2010 and the dry weight for this particular model was 3029 lbs. The brochure for the 2012 model says 3344 lbs. this is the same for all the minilite model. The reason for this change is that they added some items over the years that were an option and now they are standard like the wheels and fridg for exemple. All the 2011 and earlier models were equipped with 13 inches wheels and now comes with 14 inches models. For the fridg the smaller models were coming with a smaller fridg one door instead of 2 doors. All these changes added weight on the trailer. For the tonge weight I know that when you add the propane and the battery it will add weight but tell me a model of trailer in the 20 footers line ( any brands ) that weight 236 lbs dry on the tonge. The 1809s is almost unique. For my case since I pull only on level terrain ( no hills ) even if I am a bit over the 3500 lbs it does not matter much because what kills any vehicles pulling trailers are the hills no matter if it is a Sivverado or a uplander van. I have removed some seats on the van ( the last row ) that we dont need and these alone weight almost 150 lbs. When I pull the trailer I never travel with water in the tank to add extra weight. If you have been to Europe you should see what they pull with even the regular compact cars. You would ask big questions how they can do it. You can even see some Citroen 2cv pulling small trailers and these cars were only 2 cylinders engines. At home why the ford victoria was rated 5000 lbs in the older days while today it is rated only 1000 lbs today. My chevy citation 1984 with a 2,8 engine was rated to pull 2000lbs while my 2003 impala was rated only at 1000 lbs. All these questions makes you thinking!
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Old 08-14-2012, 07:20 AM   #17
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Yes I have noticed that the weights change, my 2012 Vibe is rated for 1200 lbs CC and they have reduced the 2013 to 990. The tonge weight has increased but in my case this is not a bad thing as the Vibe as a large storage compartment behind the axel. I was not trying to get into a weight fight just wondering how much yours weights as we were look at it this spring but I figured it would put me over weight.I too remove the middle seats to get rid of 110 lbs. As for Europe I know exeactly what you are saying, my wifes cousin in Holland pulls a two horse trailer, with horses, with a Kia spotage, and my VW EOS is rated to pull 2000LBS and my KIA van with a shorter weelbase is rates at 4400 lbs in England.
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Old 08-14-2012, 10:14 AM   #18
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If you are traveling country lanes on relatively flat terrain, then up to 3000 lbs might be ok with your Odessey. Freeway speeds in hilly or mountainous country is another matter. My Suburban with a V8 struggles with a 4000lb trailer in really steep country. Add freeway speeds (65+) and serious inclines and it bogs down completely.
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Old 08-14-2012, 11:33 AM   #19
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wincrasher, I have to disagree with you. I tow a Vibe 6501 3300 lbs with a KIA minivan and have no problems keeping highway speeds in hilly roads (not mountains). Most of the time it will hold 4th unless the hill is quite steep then I drop it to third at 3500 rpm and it has no problem holding 60-65 MPH.
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Old 08-14-2012, 03:17 PM   #20
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On all the minivans the manufacturers are showing 3500 lbs with a class 2 carrying hitch and 350 lbs on tonge weight. Most of the hitch makers are selling class 3 hitches for minivans. With this class of hitch and weight equalizers bars it can go a bit more than 3500 lbs as long as you understand that a minivan is a minivan. All depend on the terrain you will use it for your camping trips. On my part I would no go in mountainous country with hills of 12% because I know that it will not make it. Also there is the speed you travel. I stay at 90 kilometers per hour or 55 mph. Some trailers have a better frontal than the other and I know that myminilite is not the best aerdynamic frontal but I have not seen much more strain because I keep the speed lower. My minivan has a 3.9 liter engine with a 3.29 ratio so on level terrain it tows like a breeze and I am not afraid of straining my engine or my transmission with all the add on I installed for extra cooling.
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